Coming up with fresh ideas on a frequent basis to keep productivity high within a contact center can be a challenge. However, adding in a new contact center strategy or approach can create significant value by keeping both customers and agents happy.
Below are a few ways to continue the forward-thinking process by improving and modernizing your contact center.
Monitor automation and AI trends (then implement the right ones) – Work towards doing more with less in a smart way within your contact center. For example, workforce management software with automated scheduling can streamline much of the processes around quickly staffing up and down. Keeping up with trends also helps to attract younger agents who want to work in a company that is driving change with technology, just like they are in their own lives, and not lagging behind.
Frequently evaluate employee preferences and productivity – Stagnation often stops innovation. Don’t let your agents burn out on a single channel by failing to listen to their need for change. If an agent is open to it, try them out on a different channel they are not used to. Sometimes making the switch from phone to chat support can be the change of pace that keeps a valuable agent engaged and satisfied.
Train customer experience, not customer conversations – Not everything needs to be about ending the conversation fast. Instead, innovate with how you reward agents that go above and beyond to keep customers happy and provide an excellent experience. Interview agents and ask them what incentives would motivate them to do a better job. Implement the popular options (within reason) and provide an agent with a choice of rewards when it’s time to acknowledge their excellent work. An extra day of PTO or free tickets to a concert are good examples. This tactic motivates a larger percentage of your agent workforce since people are driven by different things. Don’t instill a culture where the sole priority becomes getting off the phone fast to look better in a report.
Provide transparency when it comes to productivity – Speaking of metrics, it’s important to avoid judging agents on data points they can’t see. Sharing what information your team is utilizing to make decisions (such as adherence data) can go a long way in improving contact center morale. Agents will be more understanding of staffing decisions, both positive and negative, when they are tied to productivity data that everyone involved can view at any time.
Dissolve and minimize barriers between departments – Do your best to avoid having your agents be blindsided by product changes. This can be accomplished by keeping them in the know with timely training around product changes and updates. It’s even better if they can hear about the latest happenings directly from the product team in smaller groups or lunch and learn sessions so they can ask detailed questions. Creating a dialogue between departments helps agents be confident that they are getting the right answers to share with customers.
Seek strategies and solutions from outside your company – It can be easy to think that because your company knowledge is extensive that an outside perspective may not be helpful (especially if you have to pay for it). However, a different set of eyes with specific expertise on a problem that isn’t entrenched in office dynamics can provide a fresh perspective. They may even bring a modern solution to the table you and the team haven’t considered before.
As outlined above, there are several ways to continually improve and modernize your contact center. The overarching theme among them all is to not be constrained by your current processes. Being open to new ideas and opportunities is a great way to create a modern contact center that gets the job done right while still maintaining a high level of agent happiness.
